Wednesday – team news update
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Again, I see nothing worth betting on whatsoever but as I’ve got some free time, I’ll elaborate as to why for the Champions League games at least as I know you guys love to bet on them. This post does not count toward your membership, incidentally.
Rubin Kazan’ vs Olympique Lyonnais
A very tired Rubin side versus a distinctly average Lyon side is a big no bet for me. Rubin are a nightmare to play against at home as you all know. Russia is a tough place for an away game anyway but a solid defensive side playing a side that doesn’t need to win holds no interest for me. Lyon might nick it if they’re bothered but I doubt they will be. Their defence is shoddy; they could lose the game too. Under 2.5 goals is worth a thought if there’s an early goal but this is just a huge no bet for me.
Viktoria Plzen vs FC Copenhagen
Plzen claimed a historic win at FC Copenhagen in the last round, which surprised a lot of people. I won’t say I expected Plzen to win because that would be a lie but what I would say is that I deliberately avoided that game because I knew how good Plzen can be and how underestimated they were because people don’t know much about them but they’ve heard of Copenhagen so they go “LOL 1.70? K IM BETTIN NOW!!!!”, which is just fucking stupid. Copenhagen are a very experienced side in Europe and have one of their best squads for some years now but something isn’t there under new boss Nilsson that I can’t quite explain. They’re not as ruthlessly efficient right now as they were last season. They’re still the better side here – as much as I like Plzen, I can’t deny that – but they have to win in the Czech Republic, which makes this a huge game. Plzen have been hit-and-miss so far in each game, scoring freely but conceding freely too. They can concede against anyone but score against anyone too so it’s anyone’s guess which Plzen shows up. They want this more than anything, though, so don’t question their work ratio and don’t doubt the possibility of nerves. I can’t escape the sinking feeling of a the Champions League romance being crushed by Copenhagen here but I’m going to happily sit on the fence and watch with interest here. Remember – a lot of people were stung in the first leg by underestimating the away side. It would be prudent to not make the same mistake again by underestimating the away side. No bet!
Sturm Graz vs BATE Borisov
A huge question mark over this one for me. Sturm Graz were not a good goalscoring side last season but appear to have become one so far this season. They’re not the best defensively and they’re not terribly experienced in Europe nowadays but they’re a decent outfit. I rate BATE Borisov really highly and they welcome Renan back to midfield for this game. If he and Rodionov play then BATE can progress here – they’re more than good enough. They’ve made this game very hard for themselves though. Under 2.5 goals is worth a punt but I just can’t bring myself to bet on a very tight game.
SL Benfica vs Twente Enschede
The only outcome I like here is goals because both sides deploy attacking football, Twente have to attack, Benfica can’t defend, and both sides have a realistic chance of progressing. Benfica are way too short here for my liking, especially considering the players they lost pre-season, but that’s by-the-by. Ruiz will no doubt enjoy himself for Twente and Benfica have their own fair share of talented attacking players too. Picking a winner here is suicide, in my view. I will be surprised if there’s not at least three goals here, though. 7/10 is just a bit too short for it though – I’d have climbed aboard at 4/5 so maybe in-play? Aside from that – no bet.
Udinese vs Arsenal
Last but not least we have the public bet of backing Udinese. I won’t say that it doesn’t have reasoning but I will say that I wouldn’t touch it. Italian football is still a long way behind English football and Arsenal showed in the first leg that their pace can really damage Udinese. For what it’s worth, I thought Udinese played very well against Arsenal – they got in Arsenal’s faces, forced their youngsters into errors, and probably deserved something from the game. However, they didn’t get something from the game. Why? Because they lack firepower, which was something I highlighted on here. Sanchez was a huge part of their attack and as good as Di Natale is, he needs a strike partner and Udinese don’t have one good enough, in my view. Udinese might do well here and they might beat Arsenal but I just can’t bring myself to back them to do so knowing the three quintessential players they lost pre-season. Arsenal are missing truckloads of players but the beauty of Arsenal is that anyone they bring into the squad fits into the squad because they play the same style of football from top to bottom at the club and that type of football has tormented Italians for years in European football so I would not be surprised to see Arsenal get something here, especially with world-class Van Persie returning, as are Song and Gervinho. This is the biggest “no bet” of all for me although I am really seduced by the long odds on the Arsenal win here, I have to say! Maybe a cheeky Arsenal draw no bet selection is worthy of your consideration.
I hope that’s been useful for you anyway, guys!
Team news
Udinese – Domizzi and Floro Flores are absent. Basta is a doubt.
Arsenal – Koscielny, Wilshere, Diaby, and Nasri are absent.
Viktoria Plzen – Bakos and Jiracek return.
Twente Enschede – Chadli is absent.
Rubin Kazan’ – Ansaldi, Navas, Kuzmin, Kasaev, Ryzantsev, Orekhov, Carlos Eduardo, and Bocchetti are absent.
Olympique Lyonnais – Gourcuff, Cris, Ederson, and Mensah are absent.
Further team news updates will be posted as and when they arrive, most probably around dinnertime.